Little Monster
by Sing the Muse
Summary: Its late. Little Inuyasha is scared of something. Sesshoumaru just wants to sleep. NOTyaoi


**Little Monster**

_Author's notes: I use Japanese terms in this story because it takes place in Japan so it would make sense that the characters would speak Japanese. As well, I don't see youkai as "demons". I think of a demon as an evil creature/spirit that lives in or comes from a hellish plane. As we see in Inuyasha, not all youkai are evil and they live on the same plane as humans (most of them ). There is no accurate English translation for the word youkai, as Western Civilizations have no similar mythical creatures. The closest would be just spirit, or even fairy, but I've decided not to call Sesshoumaru a fairy... I use youkai as a race/species type as one might use the words, dwarf, elf, unicorn, sphinx, etc. More notes follow the story. I do not own Inuyasha_.

* * *

"S-sesshoumau? Sesshoumaru?" 

The young youkai prince groggily cracked open one eye at the sound of his name. A small figure with silver hair and short dog ears stood in the doorway of his moon lit room, a blanket wrapped around his little shoulders. Sesshoumaru inwardly snarled when he realized it was his younger _half_-brother, Inuyasha, but calmly withheld his irritation to a frown.

"What?" he mumbled tiredly, rolling over and slipping back into a light sleep.

The younger boy scrunched up his face and padded over to his brother's bed. "Sesshoumaru?" The seven-year-old whispered loudly, his voice tinged with fear.

"_WHAT!_" the older boy hissed as he sat up and faced Inuyasha, his own voice laced with annoyance.

Inuyasha blinked, startled. He fidgeted with his hands, rubbing the nail of his index finger across his lips.

Sesshoumaru's frown deepened. His brother was much too old to suck his fingers, though when confronted, the boy had a tendency to brush his upper lip, as if thinking of reverting back to the old habit. It was truly annoying.

"Um...um..." Inuyasha stammered.

Sesshoumaru glared at the intruding boy. The older prince had spent the whole day helping his father fend off angry human villagers who were tired of their cattle being slaughtered by the Great Youkai Lord and his family. His father, though ruthless, loved humans for some unknown reason and refused to simply crush them. The resulting negotiations, thanks to the long winded humans, were long and evolved.(1) How Sesshoumaru hated humans…He had been looking forward to a peaceful night to sleep off his irritation, so to say that Sesshoumaru was aggravated by his brothers trespassing would have been a severe understatement.

"_Well?" _he growled curtly when Inuyasha didn't respond.

Inuyasha swallowed and cast his eyes to the floor, mumbling his response to his older brother.

Sesshoumaru raised one eyebrow, not quite sure he had heard his brother correctly. "What did you say?"

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. "There's a monster in my room..."

Sesshoumaru stared at the young hanyou(2) a moment before collapsing exasperatedly back on his futon. "Go back to bed, Inuyasha," he sighed.

Inuyasha whimpered in desperation and pawed at Sesshoumaru's shoulder. "Really there is!"

"Then kill it," Sesshoumaru mumbled sleepily, trying to ignore his brother's antics.

"Please, Sesshoumaru!"

The youkai prince rolled over and faced his half-brother, their noses only inches apart. Inuyasha blinked his large golden orbs at his brother's narrowed eyes.

"I have a monster in my room too," began Sesshoumaru slowly. "His name is Inuyasha, and he won't let me sleep. _Good night_, Inuyasha." And with that, he turned back over.

Undaunted, Inuyasha shook his brother again, "Sesshoumaru! Sesshoumaru, please!"

"What do you want me to do, you whelp?" Sesshoumaru asked without facing his brother. "I might be a powerful youkai, but I can't chase away monsters that don't exist."

Inuyasha was silent for a long time. Sesshoumaru assumed that he had either given up, or come to his senses and left. He was nearly asleep when Inuyasha proved it was neither.

"Nii-chan(3)," the boy whispered while absently fingering Sesshoumaru's silver hair.

"Hnn...what..." Sesshoumaru mumbled back, not really hearing him or caring for that matter.

"Can I sleep with you?"

"_Goa'way_!" The prince whined exhaustedly, pulling his blanket over his head. "Go sleep with your mother!"

"I can't! Kaa-chan(4) is in the country visiting her father. I wanted to go with her, but she said I was grown up enough to stay here with you and Father."

"Then you should be old enough to sleep in your own bed!" Sesshoumaru retorted sharply.

"Please! I'm scared! I promise I won't make any noise! I'll go to sleep! My room is too dark and cold! Please Nii-chan!" Inuyasha whispered urgently.

"Fine! Just shut up!" Sesshoumaru growled. As much as the thought of sharing a bed with his whelp of a half-brother disgusted him, Sesshoumaru decided that if it pacified the little beast, he didn't care.

Inuyasha smiled happily and climbed into bed with his brother, his blanket still wrapped around him. He curled up next to Sesshoumaru and snuggled his head between his brother's shoulder blades.

"I feel safe with you, brother!"

"Hn..." Sesshoumaru was too tired to move away from the boys intruding presence.

The bedroom was silent for a few minutes before a soft voice whispered, "Thank you Nii-chan."

Sesshoumaru did not answer. He was already asleep.

* * *

(1) Inspired by the only time we ever see Inu-papa. The infamous flashback where Inu-papa is up in a cloud, eating a cow, with angry villagers on the ground shaking pitchforks at him. I couldn't help it. 

(2)hanyou: half-youkai. Inuyasha is half youkai, half human.

(3)Nii-chan: The actual Japanese word is "Onii-san" which means, "Older Brother". "Nii-chan", doesn't really have a very good English translation. It would be like calling your sister "Sissy", so in effect it more-or-less means "Broy" shrugs.

(4)Kaa-chan: Another shortened word which comes from "Okaa-san", "Mother". Kaa-chan is a very childish word that basically means, "Mommy".

Ack! Yes, yes! I know I did a pretty good disappearing act for a few years there, but have no fear, I am back and still writing. I am still working on my other Inuyasha fic, though I don't know when I will have another chapter out. I really just like to read fanfic so…eh heh…I find reviews and prodding works wonders…don't worry, I won't disappear for another 2 years…I don't away


End file.
